The most common theme that accompanies most news about acquisitions in the gaming field is exclusivity. In the case of Microsoft, as the manufacturer of one of the leading gaming platforms, the questions are all the more pressing, and it is certain that players and journalists will return to them cyclically. Whether it concerns Zenimax or Activision Blizzard, the portfolio of both companies is huge and has historically included a lot of cross-platform titles. Phil Spencer and his other colleagues at Microsoft’s games division are therefore treading cautiously, and while it is obvious that they will use exclusive rights to specific games and series, plans tend to be vague and are always discussed on a case-by-case basis.
Something that stood out to me when I recently interviewed Phil Spencer was his emphasis on rising player counts, which I think is key to understanding Microsoft’s strategy.
I want to share where that conversation went (warning: this will be a bunch of tweets!)
– Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 8, 2022
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But at the end of the day, he’ll be here. only one game console on which some of the expected games can come out, which can have a double effect. Players will either enter the Xbox ecosystem under the weight of circumstances to play the game, or they will harden up and wait for it to arrive on the PlayStation after a while. However, this raises the risk that the title may not sell as well, and this is exactly what Microsoft gaming president Phil Spencer discussed with journalist Stephen totil. In the transcript of the interview, which Totilo did not place on the pages of Axios magazine, Spencer talks about the strategy of the Xbox and, among other things, wonders how to make Starfield the most played title ever Bethesda released.
If we stop just at the expected sci-fi game, we officially know that it is heading next to the PC only on the Xbox. This is the first really big and expected game from the Bethesda portfolio, through which Microsoft will want amortize the amount spent to acquire ZeniMax. On the other hand, no one said that the exclusivity is not of a temporal nature, and still it can not be ruled out that it will appear on the PlayStation. Spencer, however, according to his statements, does not count on this eventuality, if we are talking about the desire to get Starfield to as many players as possible. That it will not be easy, everyone will think at the mention that so far the most successful game for PC and consoles from Bethesda is in this regard The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which has 30 million units sold.
You might say, of course, game companies always boast about this stuff, but this metric seems key to Microsoft, which recently shared that Halo Infinite reached 20 million players, Forza Horizon 5 reached 18m.
– Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 8, 2022
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But Spencer, according to totil, relies on current figures related to Halo: Infinite and Forze Horizon 5, which speak of 20, respectively 18 million players. Of course, one of the influencing factors is the availability of the multiplayer of the new halo in the form of free to play, the second is the Game Pass, but these are attributes that Spencer also includes in the considerations of Starfield and other titles. “I really like the halo and Forza 5 stats. Just like how many people played Psychonauts 2 compared to the first part,“ Spencer said, adding that he also looks to the future through this lens. However, this does not apply only to these mentioned titles-since Spencer spoke with totil at the time when it was beginning to be reported about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, there was also World of Warcraft or call of duty.
Circling back to skepticism of Xbox’s plan: “I feel like I can’t prove this negative. [People ask] when is the Game Pass price is going to get go up? ‘They’re buying all these studios. You know, it’s inevitable.’Even though it’s been what, now, four years we haven’t raised it.’
– Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 8, 2022
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“Sure, I want more people to play WoW in five years than today. I want more people in five years at Call of duty, too. It’s because we’re making games more accessible to more people“ ” Spencer says, adding his usual mantra about accessing games on the largest amount display in history. This, of course, brings us back to Game Pass, which recently celebrated 25 million active subscribers and definitively proved what power lies in it. But Totilo interprets the critical feedback on how the service can be so generous and yet cost so little, to which Spencer responds in a positive and calm spirit. “People ask when the price will rise. Look, they’re buying all these studios, it’s just inevitable. But even so, we have not increased the price in four years, ” says the president of Microsoft’s gaming division.
Spencer: “yeah, I want more people to be playing WoW in five years that are playing today. I want more people to be playing Call of duty in five years, more people to be playing Candy Crush in five years, because we’ve made it more accessible to more people.”
– Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 8, 2022
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However, this does not negate that this does not happen, because Spencer is still, according to his words, responsible for the business side of things and does everything possible to make everything work. “My responsibility is to do good business so that society can continue to support us. That’s the primary goal, ” Spencer added in response to the criticism being leveled toward the game pass.
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